Lyman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Violet E. (née Brightwell) and Hector H. Lyman, who was a stockbroker. She and Jill Larson who succeeded her in the role of Opal on All My Children, went to the same high school. She first appeared on her first soap opera A World Apart as flower child Julie Stark in 1971. Several years later, Dorothy appeared as Elly Jo Jamison, an evil relation of wealthy Orin Hillyer, on The Edge of Night.[citation needed]\n', '

She played architect Gwen Parrish Frame (1976–1980, 1989) on Another World and played Ralphie\'s mother in Jean Shepherd\'s Ollie Hopnoodle\'s Haven of Bliss from 1988. She appeared in the Tales from the Darkside television series in the \'In the Cards\' episode (1985), in ALF as Maura Norris in the episode \'Tequila\' (1988), Generations as Rebecca Whitmore (1990–1991), and in The Bold and the Beautiful as Bonnie Roberts (1991–1992).[citation needed]\n', '

However, her most notable soap opera role has been on All My Children as Opal Sue Gardner, for which she received two Emmy Awards—as Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series in 1982 and for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 1983. Lyman attended high school with Jill Larson, the actress who would eventually succeed her in the role of Opal Gardner on All My Children.[citation needed]\n', '

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